He Will Knock
by Vividdiscord
Summary: A drabble about the 10th and 11th Doctor, and the journey to regeneration.


**AN:**

*** DON'T READ IF YOU HAVEN'T WATCHED THE FINAL EPISODE FOR SEASON 4 OF THE NEW SERIES OF '_DOCTOR WHO'_! THIS FIC IS BASED DIRECTLY OFF OF THE DIALOGUE. (SEE SPECIFIC SPOILERS)! ***

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing other than my own words and my own portrayals of the copyrighted characters from SJA, Torchwood, & Doctor Who; though, I would love to own '_Doctor Who'._

*****Spoilers:** All episodes in the 'Doctor Who' Season 4, possibly others. Possibly episodes of Torchwood, and SJA.***

******SPECIFIC SPOILERS:** _Doctor Who_ S4E3: Planet of the Ood; _Doctor Who_ S4E15: The Planet of the Dead; _Doctor Who_ S4E18: The End of Time; _The Sarah Jane Adventures_ S3E3: The Wedding of Sarah Jane.

**Author's Note:** I absolutely loved the portrayal that David Tennant did of the Doctor, and he will always be my Doctor, and I'm not ashamed to admit that I cried when he departed from the series. David Tennant was absolutely brilliant… he portrayed the emotions so well, and put his very heart soul into the Doctor.

I wish his stay had been longer…but all songs must come to an end…. so I thought I would do a tribute to the last episode of Season 4, episode 17-18, 'The End of Time'. It's just a one-shot drabble fanfic on the thoughts of the Doctor in his last moments when he knocks four times and his song ends. Anyway, I don't normally do fanfics like this (based directly on the dialogue from the show), but I hope I did well, and that you like it!

Anyway, this is a fic about the last moments of the doctor. I don't normally write fics like this, but I hope you like it anyway.

**Alons-y!**

**-Kazu**

* * *

**[Doctor Who S4E3; Planet of the Ood]**

"I think your song must end soon." The Ood Stigma said suddenly blinking at the Doctor thoughtfully as if the Doctor's words had prompted him to speak. It was holding it's translator up in it's hand looking almost sullenly, if it were possible for an Ood to look sullen, at the Doctor who was ready to leave behind the planet with Donna as if the Ood wanted him to stay in their song. To stay protected from the end of his song.

"Meaning?" A look of slight shock passed over the Doctor's face before he hid it away. It might not mean anything… It couldn't, could it? Why had the Ood felt the need to tell him this though? These words; hey were strange and held a foreboding that the Doctor hadn't felt in a very long time.

"Every song must end." It was a simple, logical, and true reply that the Doctor received from the friendly Ood, but it didn't stop him from feeling odd about those few words.

"…Yeah." The Doctor murmured, his mind whirring at a sickening pace at those words and a horrible nameless fear beginning to burn deep within him. He didn't like prophecies because they normally came true when they had to do with him. 'Please let it not have any meaning.' He thought, but how close was he to the end of his song if these words were true? How long did he have? Every song must end, but how close was the end of his? Certainly not anytime soon… he still had a while… didn't he?

**[Doctor Who S4E15; The Planet of the Dead]**

"No, but you be careful, because your song is ending, sir." Carmen looked up at him, worry etched in every one of her caring features as she gazed up at the wondrous, mysterious, and powerful man before the small group departing the scene of the wormhole.

" What do you mean?" The doctor asked, disturbed that she was saying what Ood Stigma had told him. How could she possibly have known to say those words to him? What was this? Could it possibly be real? Whatever it was, he certainly now believed in her powers to see things. Humans were interesting creatures, and Carmen was certainly one of the wondrous ones. All of the people on the bus had been amazing.

" It is returning, it is returning through the dark. And then Doctor..." Her voice was sad, pausing with worry for the man who had saved their lives. Carmen just knew that his death was imminent and she didn't want him to die. "Oh, but then... he will knock four times." Carmen's brow furrowed as she spoke these last words to him. 'Do be careful doctor…' She prayed silently, almost tearing up as they walked away from the Time Lord.

**[The Sarah Jane Adventures S3E3; The Wedding of Sarah Jane]**

The Trickster was angry about being called lonely by this man, this… Time Lord who was one of the few remaining in the world. He knew all about the Doctor, and that was the thing; the gift of a Pantheon to know of his prey. It was hilarious to him that the Doctor would bring up loneliness when he himself was so very lonely. 'The _poor_ Doctor' he thought sarcastically, and he smirked the best he could with his strange mouth

"But who are you, a man who has lost everybody to talk to me of loneliness? When the gate is waiting for you?" The Trickster was ever malicious in the way that he talked to the Doctor, laughter in his foreboding words, teasing his foe eagerly, pointing at him. He knew the inner turmoil within the Doctor would seethe with the new information, and that was what he was looking forward to.

"What do you mean?" The Doctor asked, alarmed once again. This was the third time that he had been told words that could mean his death. Why were these words gravitating towards him? Was he becoming paranoid, or was his death truly becoming imminent?

'Please answer my question' the Doctor thought, eye searching for an answer from the Trickster, but he knew he wouldn't get one. The Pantheon merely laughed at him; The Trickster had caused what he wanted within the poor Time Lord, and he wasn't going to give him anything more.

**[Doctor Who S4E18 The End of Time]**

The Doctor lay in shock, in the glass as the joy of life flooding through his veins. He was alive! The Time Lords were gone again, as much as he had wished to see them again… as much as he had wished to see her again. His wish for her to stay, but the earth saved, and he was alive. 'I survived! I'm alive… and they were gone again. I am alone, but alive! Oh how desperate I had been for no reason! I am ali—' His joyful thoughts shattered as he heard it, crestfallen.

_Knock._

_Knock._

_Knock._

_Knock._

It was the soft knock on the glass as Wilfred's fingers met the glass that was keeping him locked inside. The Doctor didn't want to believe it... perhaps he hadn't heard it…but there it was again… the distinct condemning sound; four knocks. The Doctor's eyes widened in shock and fear, grief etched on his face as the first series of knocks came. 'He will knock four times.'

'Oh…please… no! Oh…Wilfred…please.' he wanted to beg, to plead, for his life as he turned his head to look in fright at the man in the glass case. The doctor didn't want it to end like this; it couldn't end like this. But it was there, Wilfred would knock four times, and his song would end.

_Knock._

_Knock._

_Knock._

_Knock._

'That's it then…' The Doctor let out a shuddering breath of fear as he stood and turned to look over at the man in the glass case, knowing that it would only bring him to the end of his song. There he was, Wilfred, Donna's grandfather, in the only place he had told him not to go in.

'I never imagined that it would be him… Of all people…oh… please let me live…' the doctor was begging uselessly with fate now. He didn't want to go. For a moment he thought maybe he would let his desperation get the better of him. But no, he couldn't leave him; he couldn't abandon anyone, ever.

Wilfred, the man who had been so desperate to go on an adventure with the Doctor. He let out a sigh and looked into Wilfred's eyes, sadness etched in his own. 'I'm thick. I'm so thick! How did I think that I could avoid this? Oh Wilfred… why did you have to knock four times on that glass… Why did you have to save that man? I had survived the Master, and the others… I sent them back! I am the last remaining Time Lord."

"…But, here is my reward! My reward for saving the world again! …My reward… the end of my song! Why was it ending this way? How could it end this way? I don't want to die! My Rose… I want to see her again, Martha, and Donna… and Jack… all of the others I don't want to leave them behind! I don't want to change! I don't want to!' Grief was overwhelming him, but his panic paused just for a moment when Wilfred spoke:

"They've gone, then? Good…Oh, If you could let me out?" Wilfred looked at the Doctor not knowing the problems that he had just caused for the alien. Not knowing that he had caused the start of the demise for the last of the Time Lords.

"Yeah..." The Doctor murmured, voice husky with emotion as he looked at the Wilfred. He had finally had his adventure with the doctor hadn't he? Wilfred had waited… and he had finally gotten it. But now, it was all over. Everything was over.

"Only, this thing seems to be making a bit of a noise..." Wilfred motioned at the machine surrounding him, nervously. The buzzing noise was getting louder, more powerful.

"The Master left the nuclear bolt running. It's gone into overload." The Doctor said dejectedly as he over at Wilfred, knowing there was no way out of his fate. No way he could run away and leave the old man to his fate. He had to fix this; he had to fix everything.

"And that's bad, then, is it?" Wilfred asked, clueless as to what it meant for him or the Doctor. His silly human mind not understanding any of the emotions that the Doctor was going through, and it was agitating to the Time Lord. Humans were wondrous creatures, but sometimes they were so thick! Oh… how many times had he thought that about the humans he had traveled with? The Doctor wondered, fondness of the many memories he had keeping him going.

"No, because the excess radiation gets vented inside there. Vinvocci glass. Contains it. All 500,000 rads, 'bout to flood that thing." It hurt the Doctor to speak those words to Wilfred. It hurt to speak what would cause his death aloud. How could he step knowingly to his death? Oh how he would prefer to just turn and run away, but he had seen to many people die because of him, and he did have a chance of living… he did have that very small hope that perhaps he would survive. Even if he didn't… Well, there was always regeneration…

"Oh... well you'd better let me out then!" Wilfred said slightly panicking.

"'Cept it's gone critical. Touch one control, and it floods." The Doctor pulled his screwdriver out of his jacket pocket and looked uselessly at his beloved tool, wishing that it could have worked in this case. "Even this would set it off." He said dismally as he motioned at it so Wilfred would understand the position that he was in.

"I'm sorry," was all that the poor old man could say as he looked out from the horrid glass box at the dismal Time Lord, knowing exactly what the man was thinking now. 'I'm so…so sorry Doctor.'

"Sure." The Doctor murmured and averted his gaze from Wilfred, looking anywhere, at anything other than the grandfather of Donna Nobel.

"Look, just leave me." Wilfred was pleading now. He didn't want the Doctor to lose his life because of him. 'Oh god… Doctor! Please just go!' Wilfred was screaming in his head, looking at the Doctor with a mixture of not only fear, but of loyalty and worry as well. The Doctor, the man who had saved the earth so many times couldn't lose his life for a silly old man like him.

"Okay, right then, I will." The Doctor's voice was cruel as he ranted, trying to hide his grief although tears were forming in his eyes, Wilfred was unknowingly making it all the more difficult for him. "Because you just had to go in there, didn't you! You had to go and get stuck, oh yes! Because that's who you are, Wilfred! You were always this. Waiting for me all this time!" He was so close to crying now as he looked at the man who had waited so patiently for an adventure. Wilfred had waited so patiently for the Doctor, and now it was over.

"Oh, really, just leave me. I'm an old man, Doctor, I've had my time." Wilfred was begging now as the Doctor approached the wicked machine that was threatening to overload.

'No… Wilfred, compared to me… You're just a child!' The Doctor gazed at Wilfred but he didn't voice those words about age; there was no need to.

"Well, exactly, look at you. Not remotely important. But me... I could do so much more! So much more! But this is what I get, my reward. And it's not fair! Oh... lived too long. Wilfred. It's my honor." He gazed at Wilfred and tried to smile, but it was impossibly hard. Oh how he wanted to live, he didn't want to just give up. But this was his only choice.

"Better be quick! Three, two, one—" He said and opened the door and traded places within the wicked machine with Wilfred as his companion was released. It was pain beyond pain. Oh how it burned. He hadn't imagined this pain when he had resigned himself to this fate. He had dealt with radiation before, even played with blocks of Rankin radiation in his nursery with the others, but this consistency of it; These 500,000 rads would be the end of him. It was ironic… wasn't it? That this was the end of him, not fighting against some alien race, but dying to save a friend. Dying because of Wilfred's innocent tapping on the glass.

He looked over at Wilfred as he began to fall, he couldn't hold himself up, trying not to scream, not to seem in pain for the old man's sake. He couldn't hold the pain back and he moaned, as if it would release the pain from him, and he desperately wanted it to… oh how he wanted it to. He was on the floor of the case now, curled up into a ball as his body waited for death.

But death never came.

* * *

**To Be Con't.**


End file.
